The CopDoc Podcast: Aiming for Excellence in Leadership

Mark Garrett is from South Los Angeles.  He rose through the ranks of the  California Highway Patrol, serving his entire career in the Los Angeles County area.  He retired as a 2-star Chief of the South Division of the CHP. Mark Garrett hosts the (Law Enforcement Officer) LEO Nation Podcast. Since retirement, he has been serving as a Security Director for an LA County area banking enterprise. Hey there! Send us a message. Who else should we be talking to? What topics are important? Use FanMail to connect! Let us know!Contact us: copdoc.podcast@gmail.com Website: www.copdocpodcast.comIf you'd like to arrange for facilitated training, or consulting, or talk about steps you might take to improve your leadership and help in your quest for promotion, contact Steve at stephen.morreale@gmail.com

Dr. Melissa Morabito is an Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell.  Melissa conducts research on the adoption of police innovation concentrating on issues of technology, diversity, and police response to public health problems in the community such as mental illness, sexual assault, and domestic violence.  Dr. Morabito has been active with police agencies and educational institutions.  She have served in leadership roles with the Police Foundation, the American Society of Criminology, and is a member of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.  She has authored several articles and served as a reviewer for many academic journals. She earned her doctorate at American University and earned a Master in Social Work degree from Columbia University.  Her Bachelor in Political Science is from the University of Pennsylvania. Hey there! Send us a message. Who else should we be talking to? What topics are important? Use FanMail to connect! Let us know!Contact us: copdoc.podcast@gmail.com Website: www.copdocpodcast.comIf you'd like to arrange for facilitated training, or consulting, or talk about steps you might take to improve your leadership and help in your quest for promotion, contact Steve at stephen.morreale@gmail.com

Chief Ruben Quesada served most of his policing career in Arizona.  Starting with the Glendale Police, he rose through the ranks in the Mesa, AZ Police, retiring as a Police Commander.  He moved from the desert to New England and served as the Deputy Chief of the Northern Essex Community College Police, until his appointment as Chief of the Swampscott, MA Police Department.  Dr. Quesada earned his doctorate and has served as an adjunct instructor at several institutions of higher education. Hey there! Send us a message. Who else should we be talking to? What topics are important? Use FanMail to connect! Let us know!Contact us: copdoc.podcast@gmail.com Website: www.copdocpodcast.comIf you'd like to arrange for facilitated training, or consulting, or talk about steps you might take to improve your leadership and help in your quest for promotion, contact Steve at stephen.morreale@gmail.com

Dr. Gennaro F. Vito is a scholar, facilitator, author, professor, and award-winning criminologist at the University of Louisville.   He also serves as a faculty member in the Administrative Officer’s Course at the Southern Police Institute where he offers a course on criminal justice leadership (CJ 578). He holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration from The Ohio State University. Active in professional organizations, he is a Past President, Fellow, and recipient of the Bruce Smith Award (2012) of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and the Outstanding Service Award, Police Section, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. He served as the editor of The American Journal of Criminal Justice (1987-1991). He is recognized as one of the “Top 25 Criminal Justice Professors” by the Forensic Colleges as ranked by the U.S. News & World Report’s criminology ratings. He has published over 100 professional, refereed journal articles and 18 book chapters.He has published on capital sentencing, police consolidation, police leadership, police traffic stops, policing strategies for drug problems in public housing, attitudes toward capital punishment, and the effectiveness of criminal justice programs, such as drug elimination programs, drug courts, and drug testing of probationers and parolees.  He is the co-author of eleven textbooks in criminal justice and criminology including Police Leadership and Administration: A 21st Century Strategic Approach (Elsevier, 2019), Organizational Behavior and Management (Prentice Hall, 2020) and Criminology: Theory, Research, and Practice (Jones & Bartlett, 2021). Hey there! Send us a message. Who else should we be talking to? What topics are important? Use FanMail to connect! Let us know!Contact us: copdoc.podcast@gmail.com Website: www.copdocpodcast.comIf you'd like to arrange for facilitated training, or consulting, or talk about steps you might take to improve your leadership and help in your quest for promotion, contact Steve at stephen.morreale@gmail.com

Mike Scott is a lawyer, former police chief, researcher and professor, and training facilitator.  Michael S. Scott is the director of the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing and a clinical professor in the School of Criminology & Criminal Justice at Arizona State University. He chairs the judging committee for the Herman Goldstein Award for Excellence in Problem-Oriented Policing.  He leads the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing (POP) at ASU. Scott was formerly a clinical professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School.  He served as the first chief of police in Lauderhill, Florida; special assistant to the chief of St. Louis, Missouri Metropolitan Police Department; director of administration of the Fort Pierce, Florida, Police Department; legal assistant to the police commissioner of the New York City Police Department; and a police officer in the Madison, Wisconsin, Police Department. He was a senior researcher at the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) in Washington, D.C. In 1996, he received PERF's Gary P. Hayes Award for innovation and leadership in policing. Scott holds a law degree from Harvard Law School and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.   We talked about the history of POP, the evolution of problem-oriented policing, and the state of policing today.  A wide-ranging and illuminating chat with Mike Scott on The CopDoc Podcast.   Hey there! Send us a message. Who else should we be talking to? What topics are important? Use FanMail to connect! Let us know!Contact us: copdoc.podcast@gmail.com Website: www.copdocpodcast.comIf you'd like to arrange for facilitated training, or consulting, or talk about steps you might take to improve your leadership and help in your quest for promotion, contact Steve at stephen.morreale@gmail.com

 Dr. Sarah Abbott is a Boston area based - Licensed CIinical Social Worker (LICSW) clinical, and former professor of Criminal Justice at Lasell College in Newton, MA.  Sarah has extensive experience working as a co-responding clinician in Massachusetts police departments.  She managed the expansion of the program, increasing service to 15 police agencies for Advocates in Framingham, MA.  Sarah is the creator and Director of the Center for Co-response and Behavioral Health at William James College in Newton, MA. Sarah is the principal of a consulting now running Abbott Solutions for Justice, LLC.    We chatted about policing, the introduction of clinicians into police vehicles.  Sarah worked directly with the Framingham, MA Police Department and has hired and coached dozens of clinicians for service in police agencies.  The Center for Co-response and Behavioral Health has created a certificate program in Co-response.Hey there! Send us a message. Who else should we be talking to? What topics are important? Use FanMail to connect! Let us know!Contact us: copdoc.podcast@gmail.com Website: www.copdocpodcast.comIf you'd like to arrange for facilitated training, or consulting, or talk about steps you might take to improve your leadership and help in your quest for promotion, contact Steve at stephen.morreale@gmail.com

Jennifer Morrison is the Commissioner of Public Safety in Vermont.   Prior to joining DPS in October 2020 as executive director of policy development and later deputy commissioner, Morrison spent three decades in Vermont’s law enforcement community.She joined the Burlington Police Department as an officer in 1990 and advanced through the ranks, ultimately becoming deputy chief. In 2013, she accepted the position of chief of the Colchester Police Department, a role she held for the next five years before retiring. In retirement, she worked as a consultant and instructor before returning to the Burlington Police Department in January 2020 as interim police chief for six months during a tumultuous time in the BPD. Jen lives on an island on Lake Champlain and has been a trainer for the IACP on Leadership.  Ina wide-ranging interview, we talked about leading and the focus of policing in the 21st century.  We spoke of authenticity in leadership, the power of listening, coaching, and using questions.  We also spoke about the co-production of public safety.  Jennifer is a fellow podcaster, serving as the co-host of The Hero Maker Podcast, focused on those who work in public safety, striving to make a difference.  Hey there! Send us a message. Who else should we be talking to? What topics are important? Use FanMail to connect! Let us know!Contact us: copdoc.podcast@gmail.com Website: www.copdocpodcast.comIf you'd like to arrange for facilitated training, or consulting, or talk about steps you might take to improve your leadership and help in your quest for promotion, contact Steve at stephen.morreale@gmail.com

Shawn Hill is a Lieutenant with the Santa Barbara Police Department in Central California.  A police officer in Norfolk, VA, and now in Santa Barbara, CA for more than 20 years, he is now a doctoral candidate at UC Santa Barbara. He was selected as a practitioner-scholar for the U.S. Department of Justice - Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (LEADS) program, sponsored by the National Institute of Justice.  Hey there! Send us a message. Who else should we be talking to? What topics are important? Use FanMail to connect! Let us know!Contact us: copdoc.podcast@gmail.com Website: www.copdocpodcast.comIf you'd like to arrange for facilitated training, or consulting, or talk about steps you might take to improve your leadership and help in your quest for promotion, contact Steve at stephen.morreale@gmail.com

Hey there! Send us a message. Who else should we be talking to? What topics are important? Use FanMail to connect! Let us know!Contact us: copdoc.podcast@gmail.com Website: www.copdocpodcast.comIf you'd like to arrange for facilitated training, or consulting, or talk about steps you might take to improve your leadership and help in your quest for promotion, contact Steve at stephen.morreale@gmail.com

The CopDoc Podcast Episode Summary: Increasing Resilience in First RespondersGuest: Dr. Stephanie Conn, police psychologist and former police officerKey Topics:Dr. Conn's Journey: The daughter of a police officer, Dr. Conn's personal experiences as a dispatcher and police officer, including the tragic deaths of two colleagues, led her to pursue a career in psychology to better support first responders.The Need for Specialized Support: Dr. Conn highlights the unique challenges faced by first responders and emphasizes the importance of culturally competent mental health care from clinicians who understand the specific stressors of the profession.Check-Ups from the Neck Up: The concept of regular mental health check-ups for first responders is discussed as a way to normalize seeking help and address the cumulative effects of stress before reaching a crisis point.Confidentiality and Trust: Dr. Conn emphasizes the importance of confidentiality in building trust with first responders and outlines the steps she takes to ensure their information remains private, especially in sensitive situations like worker's compensation cases.The Cumulative Effect of Trauma: The podcast delves into the "death by a thousand cuts" phenomenon, where the accumulation of traumatic experiences over time can lead to significant mental health struggles.EMDR as a Treatment Tool: Dr. Conn explains EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy and its effectiveness in helping first responders process and heal from trauma.Overcoming the Stigma: The conversation addresses the stigma associated with seeking mental health care in first responder professions and the need for education and open dialogue to overcome these barriers.The Future of Wellness in Policing: The podcast concludes with a discussion on the growing emphasis on wellness programs within law enforcement agencies and the importance of ensuring these programs are evidence-based and tailored to the specific needs of first responders.Overall: This episode of The CopDoc Podcast provides valuable insights into the mental health challenges faced by first responders and offers practical strategies for building resilience and seeking support. The conversation is candid, informative, and highlights the critical role of mental health professionals like Dr. Conn in supporting the well-being of those who protect and serve our communities.Hey there! Send us a message. Who else should we be talking to? What topics are important? Use FanMail to connect! Let us know!Contact us: copdoc.podcast@gmail.com Website: www.copdocpodcast.comIf you'd like to arrange for facilitated training, or consulting, or talk about steps you might take to improve your leadership and help in your quest for promotion, contact Steve at stephen.morreale@gmail.com